Security is one of IT's greatest challenges today. For example, conventional network firewalls and Internet Provider Security (IPS) appliances are not able to protect users' data and critical infrastructure from sophisticated and targeted advanced persistent threats (APTs).
Meanwhile, application service providers and cloud applications offer many benefits to organizations, introducing substantial economies of scale. Currently, customers must rely on these providers and applications to provide security for the data managed by these applications. However, given the conventional inabilities to protect users' data in the cloud and/or in data centers, such organizations are left with the assumption that their networks will be breached, and therefore are reluctant to take advantage of such application service providers and cloud applications.
Relatedly, many conventional server systems include remote management functionality such as a Board Management Controller (BMC) and/or IPMI functionality, including techniques described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,035. These components and functionalities are notoriously well known as being vulnerable to hacks and other security breaches.
There is therefore a need for allowing customers themselves to make sure the user data operated on by the server computers used by application service providers and cloud applications is secure.